Oklahoma Ethics Commission

Contents

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission is an independent campaign finance disciplinary agency that is responsible for prosecuting and investigating most of Oklahoma's campaign finance laws.

Mission Statement

The Ethics Commission is a constitutional state agency which promotes Oklahoma citizens’ confidence in state government by:

Promulgating rules of ethical conduct for state officers and employees, including civil penalties for violations of such rules,

Promulgatingrules of ethical conduct for state candidate and issue campaigns, including civil penalties for violations of such rules,

Providing assistance in and monitoring the disclosure of campaign financing for state and local candidates and committees, personal financial disclosure for state and county officers and employees, and registration and reporting by lobbyists,

Providing assistance in and monitoring the political activity and official conduct of state officers/employees in order to prevent conflicts of interest,

Serving as the repository and making available for public inspection and copying all required disclosure documents, and

Issuing opinions on and investigating and/or prosecuting alleged violations of the constitutional rules[1].

History

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission was formed in 1991 after a successful referendum in 1990 approved the new Commission[2].

Campaign finance discipline

If someone feels a person violated Oklahoma campaign finance law, the first step is to file a complaint with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission[5]. Once the complaint is received, it is up to the Executive Director of the Commission to validate the complaint. If the complaint is verified, then the Commission as a whole reviews all evidence to determine any probable cause[5]. If there is probable cause of campaign finance violations, then the Commission will litigate in a district court. It is up to a district court to determine if someone is guilty of campaign finance laws, but parties can settle out of court[5].